Even as an adult, I find myself being a little naughty at times too; I find myself making poor choices when it comes to nutrition. What happens when nutty, or a lack of knowledge surrounding nutrition, turns into naughty, making poor decisions?

I hadn't realized how powerful scent was until I separated it from my other senses. There were clues, though. There's a armoire in the basement of the house my parents still live in where they keep the World Book Encyclopedias. Nothing, and I mean nothing, calls up my childhood faster than opening those doors and taking a breath.

Today millions of Americans will pull out their lists of New Year's resolutions, full of intentions to control their many temptations, from one-night stands to junk food to alcohol to smoking. What are the costs of all that self-control?

Nelson Mandela is the greatest spiritual leader of our time. He always listened to God and did everything God asked him. He has been able to change the world because of his deep belief and trust in God. This level of faith is exceedingly rare.

As the monk in the Zen tale shows, if we push away desire, we disconnect from our tenderness and we harden against life. We become like a "rock in winter." When we reject desire, we reject the very source of our love and aliveness.

If we believe we are here to improve the journey of our soul, we are charged with making the best choices to perpetually evolve to a higher good. We study, we go to therapy, we develop a spiritual practice and we try to do the right thing. The unfortunate part is that we are human.

Most of us, including evangelicals, know that our trials and temptations, our inner struggles, our troubling habits, our personal and relational challenges, are not literally the result of our great-great-great-great... grandmother eating an apple.